A REPORT has today called for the end of sports sponsorship by alcohol companies to stop young people becoming tomorrow’s problem drinkers.

With four out of 10 Welsh 15-year-olds drinking on a weekly basis, Alcohol Concern Cymru has called for a ban on the drinks industry sponsoring events such as rugby tournaments and music festivals.

The report comes at a time when the Assembly Government is seeking the power to legislate over alcohol licensing.

In 2009-10 there were about 1,250 referrals of Welsh people aged 19 and under for treatment of alcohol misuse. The report’s authors fear sponsored events make drinking seem both normal and glamorous.

Mark Leyshon of Alcohol Concern Cymru said: “Young people in Wales are being continually exposed to alcohol marketing, and combined with low prices, the result is increasing levels of alcohol-related harm.”

The British Medical Association goes even further in its call for action, demanding the UK Government “implement and rigorously enforce a comprehensive ban on all alcohol marketing communications”.

Dr Richard Lewis, Welsh secretary of the BMA, said: “Current controls on alcohol promotion are completely inadequate because they are based on voluntary agreements and focused on content, rather than the amount of alcohol advertising. Even in their control of content the rules are weak with, for example, prohibitions on advertising which associates drink with youth culture or sporting success, sitting alongside alcohol sponsorship of iconic youth events like music festivals and premiership football.”

According to Alcohol Concern Cymru, about £800m a year is spent on alcoholic drinks marketing in the UK and Wales now has one of the most serious rates of alcohol misuse among young people in Europe.

A fifth of 15-year-olds report having been drunk for the first time at age 13 or younger.

During the 2010 football World Cup, more than a million children in the UK aged between four and 15 were exposed to drink advertisements. Events such as the Heineken Cup have forged a clear link between rugby and alcohol.

Cardiff brewers Brains spon- sored the Welsh rugby team from 2004 until last year. The logo on the kit had to be replaced with “Brawn” for a 2005 match in France to comply with the country’s ban on alcohol advertising. The company is still listed as a WRU sponsor, as suppliers of its official ale.

Brains’ own marketing code bans advertising next to schools and “areas frequently used by minors”.

Sales and marketing director Richard Davies said: “Regular consumer research tells us that the primary consumers of our beers are adults, primarily male over the age of 30 who use alcohol responsibly. We do not believe that alcohol sponsorship can be held accountable for underage drinking and feel that brewers should have the freedom to advertise their products responsibly.

“We believe that the pub remains an important hub of our social fabric and a pint in the local is a great Welsh tradition. Brains pubs provide a regulated environment for people to enjoy alcohol socially and responsibly and we actively discourage reckless or excessive consumption of alcohol and adopt a strong stance on the issue of underage drinking.”

An Assembly Government spokesman said: “The Health Minister, Edwina Hart, wrote to the Home Secretary to request that the power to legislate over alcohol licensing be devolved to Wales. This would have enabled us to take action to tackle the availability of alcohol, including the possible introduction of a minimum price for alcohol, but the request was declined.

“We are disappointed by this decision and are considering our options.”

However, David Poley, chief executive of the Portman Group – a drinks industry-funded body which promotes social responsibility – said: “In actual fact, drinks producers use sponsorship to promote responsible drinking – this is a much more effective way of encouraging people to drink sensibly than by calling for a ban on sponsorship.”

Plaid MP Hywel Williams said he wanted the “minimum price per unit of alcohol to be set at 50p”.

A WRU spokeswoman said: “All the revenue for the WRU through commercial sponsorship, ticket sales, the sale of merchandise and broadcast partnerships is used to sustain and develop the national sport of Wales. The WRU actively promotes healthy lifestyle and fitness initiatives within its area of responsibility as the governing body of the national sport of Wales.

“In common with other sporting organisations, the WRU complies with current UK law in sponsorship alignments and has in the recent past benefited from positive association with companies such as Brains Brewery.

“Although Brains is no longer the jersey sponsor for Welsh rugby, that sponsorship association generated revenue which helped sustain and develop rugby at elite and grassroots level throughout Wales.”